The Name Is Not Alice
by Omille
Summary: With Alice gone long ago, the again threatened Underland, this time from a previously unknown threat, must seek new hope in Alice's 4xgreat granddaughter Selene Brown. Better summary inside... Rated M for language and later chapters. Hatter/OC/Stayne/White Queen. UNDER REVISION!
1. The Heritage Goes On

I say at once, I suck in summaries, but here goes... *deep breath*

Over 1½ century (no idea how the Time is down here, but have heard that a few days on Earth could be several months in Underland!) passed in harmony in the mysterious and wonderful Underland after Alice Kingsleigh defeated the Jabberwocky, and the Red Queen got banished to the Outlands.

However, a new threat is growing hastily in the shadows deep inside the Outlands. A threat, there shall end up being more dangerous than first assumed. New persons, good and bad, will show up, forgotten memories will be _**fatal** _for some... loyalty will be doubted, friendships will form and break, and in the end, they realize cooperation is their only way to survive. Will Selene have the muchness to join this cooperation as the new Underland Champion, and hopefully save them all before it's too late?

**Remember! **This is a Mad Hatter/**OC** pairing. Don't like, don't read!

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><p><strong>Character info:<strong> To get an overall idea of how my OC looks like; google Caterina Scorsone, and except from a few changes, keep everything just as it is.

Name: Selene "Tinke" Brown.

Age: 23.

Birth and Place: 3. December 1987 - 9.34 pm near Moscow, Russia. Moved to London as very young with her family.

Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius.

Eye colour: light to deep blue.

Appearance: 172 cm, slim and fair skinned. Her hair is just about chest-length, and is currently dyed a dark red. Normally it's a dark brown.

Personality: To new people, she can appear introvert, silent, careful and suspicious, and not interested in making friends. But under the skin and her stubbornness, she can be a bit sensitive, but is very purposeful and a really sweet and caring person, there worries a lot about other people, especially the few friends she has. It's hard for her to trust new people, because of her past.

(h t t p : / / vicmackey . trakt . tv / images / people / 11482 . jpg ) (A portrait of Selene with her normal hair colour. Copy and paste, but without the spaces. Full links, annoyingly, can't be pasted here at FanFiction . net)

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><p>(...)<p>

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><p>It was the first days of September. The last of the late summer latest litter of blackbird fledglings finally jumped from the edge of the old nest, and after a nosedive with a pair of feverishly flaps of its small wings, it soon set off towards the horizon like its older siblings.<p>

Selene Brown had watched the nest through her window in her room, ever since the mother bird had laid the eggs. Remembering the first tiny sounds from their small beaks, and the mother blackbird coming to soothe them. Though surrounded by many other children at the orphanage, the age hierarchy was everything from toddlers and pre-teenagers, she never felt like she belonged somewhere. She was the oldest among the children at the orphanage with her 22 years old, and therefore acted like a reserve mother for the other children.

Her room was small and reminded more of a prison cell. There was nothing else than a bed of iron with an old mattress and a thin blanket, a small dresser and a half-shattered mirror on the wall. Sitting in the windowsill with her bare feet on the long board with her, her arms were hugged around her knees. The sunlight reflected in the golden locket around her slim neck. She sighed low but sad, as her hand closed around the golden pendant, and sank the lump there suddenly had appeared in her throat.

The orphanage laid in calm nature surroundings, and was established in an old restored manor from the middles of the 1850's. This meant old red bricks, black roofs and white windows and doors. The three-winged main building lay with its front out to the wide driveway, there went out to the highway leading to the city about 2 kilometres away.

Finally getting up from the windowsill, she threw on her black thigh-length hoodie with ¾ sleeves but left it unzipped. Leaving the room and going down the stairs with rapid steps, she went to the leader's office.

She peeked into the room and saw him sitting by his desk. Jackson, the leader of the orphanage reminded more of a homeless older man mixed with a caveman with his long and messy grey beard and dirty clothes. You would think he was in the middle of his sixties, and not the early fifties as he was.

Hearing activity by the door, he looked up and his cold grey eyes narrowed. "What do you want now, crane?"

"I'll go for a walk… just so you know."

"Whatever. Just be home before…"

"6 pm, I know." She cut him off, before closing the door again.

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><p>The ten minutes it took her to walk the short distance to the city felt much longer. Her long hair blew gently in the afternoon wind, as she came to a small café just outside the city. After entering her feet led her automatically over to one of the back tables, where she sat down. A few minutes later, another and quite chubby woman with short and curly dark hair sat down opposite her. There stood the name Liz on the name sigh on the right side of her blue waitress uniform.<p>

"Nothing new?" the other woman asked. "Did any of the couples today consider you?"

Selene shook her head. "It was Penny Seymour, Lucas Hall and Bonnie Aldo there left today. And you perfectly know, that no one wants to adopt someone like me. With my past and that…"

"Rubbish, _that_ happened so long ago. You're so unfairly beautiful, smart, stubborn, maybe a bit too serious at times, but you know how to make it on your own. They must all be out of their mind, if they didn't even think of adopting you." Liz said optimistically.

The weakest hint of a smile appeared on Selene's lips, but it quickly vanished again. Her fingers fiddled subconsciously with the locket under her t-shirt. Liz's smile faded now as well.

"Have you heard anything yet?" Liz asked with a hint of sadness.

Selene's fingers closed around it, as she sighed deeply. "The 10th of June she turned 4. I haven't given her a proper hug for 3 years, because I'm not allowed to. Not even at her birthdays, which are the only times a year, where I can be together with her… and if Jackson takes this last opportunity away from me, as he threatens to do…" a weak headshake cut of her. "Then I won't know what to do. She's my only reason to still stay live. Without her, my life is meaningless..."

Liz put her hand on top of Selene's collected ones on the table. "Sel, you need to go and see a psychologist. You have so many problems in your mind, which you need to speak to someone about."

The red-haired woman looked at her, now with serious eyes. "You know I cannot afford that, while I live at… that place. And I save up the little money I find for a birthday present for Lily every year. Just because I'm not with her, I would like to give her a real present now and then…" Her eyes softened and dropped. "What if she forgets about me and who I am?"

"She won't, Selene. Don't think like that. You gave her that locket with a picture of you and your name, and her name and birthday." Liz said. "The bond between mother and daughter is stronger than you think. You could be away from her in 10 years, and you would still know exactly who she was, and she would know who you were. I know it's very hard, but you need to stay strong, both for Lily and for yourself."

Selene looked at her for a moment, but then the weak smile from before returned, a little more visible.

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><p>"How dare you answer me back!" Jackson bellowed, as he slapped her again. This time now with such power that Selene fell to the floor, where she curled into the smallest ball with her arms around her head in a try to protect herself from the round of kicks and hits, there in the next second got hurled at her.<p>

Though fist after fist hit her over and over again, Selene didn't scream or yelp. This was not the first time she had been exposed to this. You could say that she was rather used to it. In all the 12 years she had been living at the orphanage, 10 of them had been affected by continuously beating. Every time something went wrong for Jackson, or some of the children didn't behave like he wanted them to, he always took it out on Selene. He was completely cold and without the slightest hint of regret, when a much younger Selene crying had begged him about to stop during one of the first rounds of beating. Hitting was his favourite way to get his frustrations out of his system, and couldn't care less if it hurt her in any way.

"You bitch, whore, scum!" he yelled several other offending names at her, but didn't slow down his beating. Of a man his age, he was in quite good shape. "Who would ever want to have someone like _you_ in the family?"

Gripping a handful of her hair, he pulled her up from the floor and smashed her against the wall. Her face was slightly bruised, her bottom lip split, and her bare arms had got some nasty purple and blue marks after the many hits.

Jackson still had her hair in his hand, and wasted no time in pulling it roughly upwards and from side to side, like hoping he would rip the scalp of her. But Selene didn't even blink and no hint of tears was to be spotted in the dark-blue eyes. She knew that if you showed weakness, then he would only continue. After a minute or two, and after nearly 20 minutes in this hell, Jackson finally stepped back into a good distance from her, but a second later his hand came right back and collided with her already red cheek. His dead grey eyes were blazing with the unknown fury.

"I don't want to see you at this orphanage ever again. You hear me, brat? You no longer live here!" Jackson hissed. "You have five minutes to pack, before I kick you out!"

Selene stood up and wiped the blood from her lip off in the bottom of her t-shirt. "I have waited for you to say that for 12 years, Jackson!" she spat before she stormed out of the office, up the stairs and back into her room.

Gripping the sports bag under the bed, she ripped open the drawers in the dresser. Only the long top drawer contained her sparse amount of clothes, which mostly was something she had found in the clothes container at the local recycling centre. Only owning a few t-shirts and three pair of pants, which were very worn and on the edge of discarding. Two of them had some big holes by the knees, and one of the t-shirts had lost its one sleeve. Only her socks and underwear had she bought from new. Thank god, that there had been washing facilities at this horrid place.

Emptying it all down into the bag, she went for the second drawer, which was of whole other content. A little white and weirdly proportioned teddy bear with a green bow, and a light-maroon coloured book with a dark flower pattern on the front. There were two necklaces tied around this book; one in silver with a small hollow heart pendant in a swirly design, and the other necklace was a double leather string with the pendant of a small silver plate a black rune engraved. It looked like a path, there parted into three different ways. It was the rune for protection. It had been her deceased parents' protection necklaces, and the only items, next to the book, she had left of memories.

After putting it into the bag as well, she took the long black flashlight in the bottom drawer and some new batteries she had stolen from Jackson's office. Then she found the secret saving hidden under a loose board under her bed. At least she had enough to survive a week. Though it pained her to use the little money, she was starting to save up for Lily's 5th birthday present, on herself. A spring knife with a black handle was also hidden under the board, and it got stuffed into the pocket of her jeans. The knife was one she had confiscated from one of the other children, there thought of it as a toy.

Zipping her hoodie, she swung the bag onto her back like you would do with a rucksack, whereupon she left the room and went down the stairs. Unfortunately, Jackson stood by the foot of the stairs and blocked the way.

"Go away, Jackson." She spat.

"Don't talk to me like that, crane!" he bellowed and his hands went for her neck, but her hand dug into her pocket and found the spring knife, which flicked open and was held warningly towards him. That move made Jackson stop on the spot.

"You stay away from me!" she hissed through gritted teeth.

"Remove that from my sight, you mischief!" his hand reached out for the knife, but in the next second there sounded a howl of pain, as Selene cut him deeply across the palm.

Jackson recoiled and while he was distracted of his bleeding hand, Selene put the knife back into her pocket and managed to get past him and out of the front doors. She ran over to the mess of old and carelessly thrown bikes, found one her size, and threw herself into the saddle, just as Jackson appeared in the doorway.

"GET BACK HERE!" he commanded.

"GO TO HELL!" Selene yelled back, before setting off and flew down the driveway without looking back a single time. Her only wish was to get as far away from that place and him as possible, before something worse than the cut would happen to him.


	2. Rabbits and Waistcoats

The sun had set hours ago and the sky was a palette of evening colours with the darkness emerging in the horizon, but Selene had not stopped to rest a single time. Having no idea how long time, how far or direction. All she knew was that she had made her way to the countryside and into a forest area far away from the orphanage.

Her stomach growled with hunger, and her throat was awfully dry. This made her lose attention on the road for a quarter of a second, but enough to almost hit the animal there suddenly ran out before her.  
>Her hands immediately closed around the handbrakes with such power, that the bike almost ended balancing on the front wheel, while the animal, which looked like a large white rabbit, disappeared into the bushes next to the road. A loud snap sounded from the rear wheel, and when she looked down, she saw to her frustration that the chain had fallen off.<p>

"Just great…" she hissed low, and dismounted the bike. After several failed tries to fix the chain, she gave up and kicked the bike into the bushes, whereupon handling up in her bag and continued along the road on foot.

After some time she heard the sound of car wheels behind her, and turned around to see a smaller truck coming in her direction. Thinking that it might be the only car for hours, she raised her hand with her thumb turned upwards out before the lights, hoping the truck would stop. The left flasher started to blink and it stopped a few meters ahead after passing her.

Running up to the front door, she saw a younger man with a straw of hay sticking out of the corner of his mouth looking out at her. A large grumpy old dog sat on the seat next to him.

"A young woman like you shouldn't be hitch-hiking." He chided, but then he saw her bruised face and split lip. "What has happened to you?"

"I fell." Selene lied. "Can I drive with you for a while? The destination doesn't matter, I just have to get away."

The driver looked at her for a moment, before nodding. "Fine, you can sit in the back. I'm on my way with some tools to some property under restoration. You can drive with us until we get there."

"Thank you." Selene said and went down to the left car wheel, threw her bag into the back whereupon jumping up herself. The back was full of different kinds of tools, robes, planks and nails. Managing to find a free spot up next to the rear window, she sat down with the bag placed under the knees. Her eyes were fixed down the road she came, as the truck started driving ahead. Thinking of the little girl she was leaving behind. Maybe this wasn't as well thought out as she thought, but maybe the best in the end after all.

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><p>The truck stopped on what sounded like a road of gravel, and a second later the front door opened for then getting slammed again. The man walked around to see Selene lying curled together at her spot as she slept, using her bag as a pillow, her arms pulled into the hoodie.<p>

"Oi, girl. We are by the end station." He said and patted the side of the car with his fist a few times.

Selene opened her eyes and sat up. The first thing she saw was a bright blue sky, a huge green lawn behind the man, and a forest not so far away. Looking back over her shoulder, a three-floor manor was towering up behind her. It was really old, built in grey-brown nuances, with white windows and doors, and four chimneys. Sadly a scaffold was built up around the beautiful home, and men dressed in overalls walked around on the old roof, there had lost many of its tiles. Once back in its prime, it must have been used to a lot of formal garden parties.

"And where is here?" Selene asked, while gripping her bag whereupon jumping off the back of the truck.

"No idea. Some rich old guy has paid a large amount of money to get this old house restored." The man said like it didn't care him the slightest, while he opened into the back. "Now, make yourself a little useful and help me with these planks."

A frown appeared on Selene's forehead, but had no time to think about it, before she got a bundle of planks nearly thrown into her arms, making her drop her bag onto the ground.

"Come on, don't be so slow." The man then said, took a toolbox from the back, and waved Selene along.

A moment later there sounded a loud crash, as the planks got dropped onto the ground. The man turned around and saw her standing there with the planks lying by her feet.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked wryly.

"I'm grateful that you let me drive with you yesterday, but I will not let you use me as free labour." Selene replied just as wryly.

The man looked a bit angry with her. "Ungrateful brat. Here I agree to take you with me, driving the whole night, and then you don't want to work the cost off. Of all girls, then you are the greediest…"

Selene looked pissed off, but found a banknote in her bag, stepped forth and stuffed it into the pocket of his overalls, before gripping her bag and walking down the two pairs of stairs, there led down to the lawn. The man yelled various invectives at her, but she simply smirked as she started to cross the lawn.

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><p>After half an hour or so, she came to a large shining lake where she sat down to rest in the shade of a tree. Sitting there and just listening to the music of nature; the birdsong in the sky and trees, the fishes splashing in the water, and the grasshoppers and crickets making their clicking sounds all over in the grass and bushes.<p>

It was so relaxing... but then there sounded a crack like a branch being broken into two, and when she whirled around, she saw a white rabbit the size of a one-year-old child sitting in the space between two trees in what seemed to be a midnight-blue waistcoat. It was the same rabbit she had seen back in the forest.

"What the…?" Selene thought she dreamt, but even after pinching herself, squeezing her eyes hard together and opening them again, only to see it still sitting there, made her think otherwise.

She looked at the strange creature, but apparently a minute too long, because in the next the rabbit ran inside the forest. Thinking that she might have hallucinated, she rubbed her forehead and turned back to look at the lake.

_"Selene, the rabbit is not real. Rabbits are not wearing waistcoats. Your brain plays tricks on you…"_ Selene mumbled to herself, but felt something hard hitting her in the back of the head.

"Ouch!" bringing a hand to her head and looking in the direction, she saw the strange rabbit again, sitting there in the opening. Its one foot tapping up and down like it was impatient, while something which looked like a walnut jumped up and down in its one paw.

"Do you want me to follow you or what?" after asking that question, the rabbit made a nodding motion with its head and hurled the last walnut at her, hitting her right in the middle of the forehead.

"Hey!" She jumped up, and swung her bag around her shoulder. The rabbit then did as expected, it fled into the forest again but with her right in its footprints.

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><p>The forest was larger than expected. Selene had no idea how far away from the house or lake she had got, or where the strange rabbit was taking her. It had gradually raised the speed, so she had to run to keep track of it.<p>

"Wait," she called after running quite fast for some minutes, and the weight of her bag didn't make it any better. "Don't run so fast!"

The rabbit was not so far away, but then it took a sharp and abrupt turn to the right. They entered a smaller glade, and she noticed that there was free view to the manor between some trees. Had they been running in circles all the time? There stood an old and broken tree a little ahead in the glade, and a large black hole could be seen between two of the old twisted roots.

Selene looked around for the rabbit, but couldn't see it. Maybe it was hiding in the hole by the tree, so she walked over to get a better look. The hole seemed big enough for a full-grown man to crawl down, but she didn't see a bottom or something down in the deep, there was very dark despite the sun shining. Was it a bottomless hole? Nah, that kind only existed in fairy tales, which never had interested her. She found a stone close by and held it above the hole for a second, before letting it fall into the darkness.

Several seconds passed, but there was no soft thud like when a stone hit firm ground. Instead there sounded a weak clonk like it hit something hard, stone maybe? No, it sounded like tiles. _Tiles?_ Now her curiosity really got awakened. What was down there in that mysterious hole? She knelt down and leant in to look, but then it was like someone pushed her from behind, and how she almost got sucked down into the hole.

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><p>Every other person would have screamed their lungs out, but not a noise came upon her lips. The tunnel seemed endlessly; she just kept falling and falling and falling. But as she fell longer down, the surroundings made her think, that she was falling through a very tiny and very tall house. Then suddenly she slammed down onto something hard. A second later her bag came down as well and landed on her back, almost punched the air out of her.<p>

Slowly sitting up, she saw that she was sitting on a black-and-white tiled floor with only an old floor lamp as only decoration. Wait, it was not a floor lamp. It was a chandelier, but it was hanging... _right side up_? Bending her head back, she saw what seemed to be another room right above her. A circularly room with a little round table of glass in the middle. Barely had the confusion set in, before the two rooms suddenly switched places. The floor she thought she was sitting on rejected her like two negative magnets against each other, and again her body slammed hard against the new brownish floor next to the empty glass table. At least the bag didn't land on her back this time, but fell down next to her.

Quickly getting up, her eyes looked up and saw the chandelier, which she had been sitting next to a moment ago, but now hung with the right side down. The new room was also very different. It was full of old doors of various sorts and sizes. Some had handles and some had doorknobs, a few even didn't have one.

Standing up she went over to a door and turned the old rusty doorknob, but it was locked. So was every door in the room, locked and refused to open. She then noticed a tiny curtain down by the floor. Kneeling down by it, her hand pushed the red cloth aside and saw a door, not bigger than it just would reach her knee, yet it seemed big enough for her bag to get through with a little push or two. Of course the tiny door was locked as well.

"How in earth do I get out of here?"

Then her look fell on the glass table, where there suddenly stood a little bottle with some clear fluid inside, and a tiny black key lying next to it. Crawling over she gripped the key, and tried fitting the key in the tiny door lock. It clicked and the door opened ajar. Pulling over her bag, she started pushing it through the opening. After a bit of manoeuvring and pushing and stuffing, it finally slipped through. Afterwards she sat back and wondered what to do now, but then the bottle on the table got back into mind. She stood back up and took the bottle in her hands. A little white tag was attached to the bottle neck with a piece of string.

_'Drink Me'_ was written with small black letters.

Selene hesitated. It had the colour and structure like water, but maybe it wasn't what it seemed to be. Maybe it was fluid poison. Then again, why would the rabbit bring her down here if it only wanted to kill her? Besides, she hadn't got anything to eat or drink since yesterday, so her throat was dry as sandpaper.  
>After removing the cork with a small pop, she took a little sip and instantly regretted the decision. It tasted like cod liver oil! Something she had hoped never to taste ever again.<p>

Quickly putting the cork back into the bottle and placing it on the table, she started wondering about the tag around the bottleneck. Didn't it look bigger than before, and didn't the table get a bit taller? Or... was it her, there was getting smaller? Her eyes widened in slight shock, as she realized that she was shrinking and was now tiny. Looking down her slim frame, she came to the conclusion that she couldn't be taller than the crazy white rabbit. A very faint blush of embarrassment appeared on her cheeks, when she realized that her clothes, except from her underwear, didn't shrink with her.

"No sense in... being embarrassed... no one is here... I hope..." believing that she small enough to get out of the room, her feet went for the tiny door, but then a little golden box materialized between the legs of the glass table. Curiously she went over and opened it, revealing something which looked like a snow-white cake.

_'Eat Me'_ was written with white letters of gaze.

Her stomach growled by hunger by how tempting the cake looked. Taking it up from the box she almost stuffed it all into her mouth, but stopped just before the cake touched her lips. The box just popped out of nowhere just like the weird bottle and the key had done. Maybe being this fast was not a good idea. So she broke off a tiny piece of the corner of the cake to start with. It tasted way better than the horrible fluid from the bottle. There was a hint of chocolate and strawberry, though no brownish or reddish colour indicated it.

There only passed a few seconds, before she suddenly noticed that the edge of the glass table had shrunk down to be eye-height with her… No wait, it was not the table which had shrunk, it was her who had grown.

"The fluid in the bottle makes me shrink, and the cake makes me grow… this place gets more and more weird. What will the next be? A floating cat?"

Placing the cake on the table, she started pushing, with some clumsiness, her clothes and shoes out of the small door, before gripping both the bottle and the cake, and stepped out of the door. She was too taken back by what she saw to notice the door slamming and locking itself. The strange place was… astonishing, almost like a whole new world.

She stood on a high ruin platform of stone by the opening of a forest… no, more like she was an ant looking upon a lushly and colourful forest floor. The further out she looked, the more beautiful it was. Colourful mushrooms, some as small as coins and some as tall as the trees in a rainforest. The grass was summer-green, and the trees tall with large crowns, there moderately shielded from the sunlight from the bright blue sky with small fleecy clouds floating calmly by.

It all would have had her fascination for longer, if it not was because she remembered that she not was larger than a housecat, and even the mushrooms seemed at least twice as big as her. Hoping deeply that there was no one to glare at her now, she started eating small bites of the white cake, until her normal height around the 170 cm, plus minus a few centimetres, had returned to her. She then quickly got dressed, and took the wide hood of her hoodie over her head to cover her face. After getting dressed, she handled up in her bag and looked around.

"Now, where am I?"

A chuckle sounded nearby, and when her eyes saw a large smile beginning to form out of nowhere a few meters from her.

"And who... are you?" sounded a voice with a slight purr. The floating smile got bigger, and soon a head, a grey furry body with black and blue stripes, four legs, and a fluffy tail appeared. A huge cat was floating freely in the air. The cat smiled brightly at the young woman, its huge green-blue eyes wide open.

"I asked you a question." It purred.

"S... Selene." Selene tightened her grip in the bag handles, but added in her mind. _"It was only a joke about the floating cat!"_

The cat cocked its head and looked at her, like it was checking her over.

"Interesting. McTwisp should find Alice, but you are not Alice, yet your eyes are like hers and you seem to be from Aboveland as well. But your clothes are more different…" hinting to her holed jeans and hoodie, but first after a second he noticed her bruised face and forearms. "What have happened, my friend?"

"I fell through a strange hole and hit various items." This was not even a lie, but Selene found it very tiring and annoying, that everyone should ask into her bruises. "Him McTwisp or what the name was… is that the white rabbit in a blue waistcoat, there took me down here?"

"The one and only Nivens McTwisp." The cat shook its furry head. "Now, I can take you to a place, where you will be safe…" it then vanished with a puff.

Selene's jaw dropped and her eyes whirled around. "Wait! Where did you go? Cat?"

Then the same wide smile appeared far ahead of her on the path, the stairs from the platform mouthed into, and the cat now floated with its stomach upwards between two large mushrooms.

"Well, are you coming?" It asked relaxed, but loud enough for her to hear.

Selene doubted. Should she stay where she was, and hope that someone would find her, help her get away from this place and back home? Or should she follow the strange materializing-out-of-nowhere cat, there told about a safe place for her to be? Maybe there were monsters at this place, and she quite didn't like the idea about risking getting eaten by a carnivorous mushroom or a giant insect. Though it all sounded extremely ridiculous, she stepped down the stairs and onto the path to follow the feline. Deciding to trust it… for now. Hoping it wasn't leading her into a trap.


	3. A Black Knave and A Mad Hatter

As she followed the cat longer and longer, the place around her got more and more strange. Talking flowers, which, without doubt, whispered not so nice things about her, as she walked past them. Small rocking horses the sizes of butterflies with wings flew carelessly around. All the time following the cat grin, there became more and more annoying, as it constantly appeared farer and farer away, when she almost reached it. Normally she was a pet lover, but this cat wasn't normal, so did it count as a pet or an animal for that sake?

A deep rustling in the bushes nearby caught her attention, and they stopped as the sound came closer, and something which sounded like running footsteps of several people could be heard. The cat suddenly looked very anxious, nevertheless it vanished quite quickly. And seconds later, Selene wished that she had done the same.

Something which looked red playing cards in red armour with different numbers of black hearts on the fronts appeared from all sides, and surrounded her within a double circle, all pointing long spears with sharp heart points towards her. Selene dropped her bag and found forth her spring knife, but two of the cards from the side stepped forth and gripped her wrists, squeezing them so tightly, that her hands snapped open and the knife fell to the ground.

"Let go of me!" Selene snapped, and twisted but in vain.

Then the double circle of red cards split up before her, and a huge horse in dark armour appeared between them.

"Well well, what do we have here?" a soft male voice sounded.

Selene looked up and saw the face of the rider, there dismounted. A very tall man, there was at least over 2 meters tall. Slim yet muscular with a broad chest and strong arms. He was fair-skinned like her and had shoulder-length black hair, there had a hint of curl in it. His armour was black, and consisted of a black long-sleeved knit shirt and tight-fitting pants, both with a reddish zick-zack pattern sewn into the cloth. A dark scale breastplate with out-pointing rounded leather ends to further protection of the shoulders. Flaps of leather and metal came down around the hips and crotch, while black leather boots came to the middle of his shins. To finish the outfit, he wore long leather gloves and a black cape with red lining was attached to the shoulders of his armour. And of course, a long sword in a sheath hung by his right hip, and a black whip on a hook by his left.

But what Selene really noticed was a large scar, there ran from the middle of the right side of his forehead, down and around his left eye, to end by the middle of his left cheek. Over mentioned eye was a black heart-shaped eye patch. His right eye was okay and had a normal blue-greyish colour. Despite the scar, he was actually handsome.

Selene tried to twist free, but still in vain. Yet she tried to keep her head and face covered within the hood by gripping the edge, and pull it as far down as possible. She could hear the man coming closer and stop before her.

"Remove the hood." He said.

One of the cards in the background stepped forth, and brutally ripped the hood off Selene's face, almost pulling out her hair as well. The man seemed surprised at first, that he had caught a woman.

"And who might you be?" the stranger asked. "A surviving Hightopp, maybe?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. And my name is none of your business." Selene replied harsh.

The man looked unaffected by her harsh tone, but the opposite. He looked almost amused.

"Not many have had the courage to speak to me like that." He stepped forth and gripped her chin, holding her head still while checking her over. "Blue eyes? Where are you from, girl? Your clothes are different from what I know."

When it was obvious to the man, that his prisoner had no intentions about answering willingly, he smirked in a way Selene didn't like. Letting go of her chin and stepping back, he nodded and the red soldiers let go of her wrists, while them in the behind split open the circle. Quickly gripping her knife and bag, Selene started backing out of the circle. She almost expected them to grip her again, but when it didn't happen, and the rider didn't move out of place but just stood and looked, she spun around and ran. Normally she was no coward, but she had a feeling that if she stayed, it would be ugly.

"Sir, she might be a spy!" one of the cards closest to the man said with a deep voice.

"I know, but I prefer chasing my prey before ruining all the fun. Follow that redhead!" The man ordered, as he went back and mounted his horse and set after the woman. Some of the red soldiers were in front, and the rest were just in the steed's hoof prints.

Selene ran as fast as her legs could carry her, and made several abrupt turns around trees and bushes, but it was impossible to shake them off. Eventually the forest seemed to open up ahead, and a small slope led into a large glade, in which a row of several tables of different forms was mismatchingly put together to form one long table. The white tablecloth was covered in teapots, teacups, several plates with scones and tarts, bowls with sugar cubes, and other various items associated with tea parties. The chairs also seemed to be chosen out of nowhere, different style and forms. The one by the end of the table towards her was a pouf on low wooden legs, while a high-backed green and old-fashioned, for not mentioning mote-eaten, armchair stood by the opposite end.

A broken windmill was near the abandoned tea party, a dim light in the old windows. Selene ran down and past the tables and up to the windmill, where she pulled up her hood again and started banging at the door with her left hand, while the right was used to hold her bag.

"Hello! Please let me in!" she shouted and looked behind. The rapid footsteps of the soldiers and the sound of horse hoofs came closer, and she swore that she saw the tips the red spears appearing behind the slope. But then the door suddenly opened and someone pulled her inside, for then slamming the door shut. An arm held her pressed against something solid, while a hand was pressed against her mouth. And unfortunately also blocking her nostrils. She twisted again and whined against the hand in a try to make the person aware of her lack of breathing, but the person didn't let go.

"Be quiet, I'm a friend. I won't harm you." said a quick but hushed voice.

Something. There was something in the voice there made Selene calm down, just as that the soldiers and the man from before went past the windmill.

"Keep searching, she cannot have got far!" she heard the black-haired man shout, whereupon the sound of him and the red card soldiers quickly started fading.

Thinking that the person would let go of her now, the surprise to be dragged sideways over to a window hit her hard. Yet she couldn't see anything, because of the hood over her head and still being held tightly with her back against the person, there hadn't loosened the grip. The lack of breath started to get really uncomfortable and strangling, and while the person's attention was kept out of the window, she twisted her head and managed to get the top part of her mouth free.

"I think they are gone now…" in the next second there sounded a yelp of pain, as Selene dug her teeth in the finger of the hand against her mouth.

Finally the person let go, and Selene stumbled forth to lean, and eventually sitting, against the opposite wall of the small room. She inhaled sharply and coughed a few times. Her eyes shot to her side and saw who there had saved, and almost strangled, her.

He, at least she thought it was a male person, stood and cradled his bitten hand against his chest. He was a few inches taller than her and slender. With bushy orange eyebrows and with longish reddish-orange curly hair, there looked it never had been near a proper hairbrush, hanging around his thin and marked face, there was close to be all white. Reddish-pinkish eyeshade was added under his large neon-green eyes, while the eyelids were painted in a bluish eyeshade, and the darker rouge under his marked cheekbones, while his thin lips were a faint magenta.

Also his clothing was much unusual. Dark-brown pants with thin dark-grey vertical strips, there ended just before his ankles, where two different colour socks could be seen. A dark-orange sock on his left foot, and a king-blue on the right. His ankle shoes were light-brown with red shoelaces. He wore a waistcoat with a dark tartan pattern on the outside of a pink long-sleeved shirt of satin or silk with fluffed lace at the edges of the sleeves. His whole 'outfit' got finished with a dark scarf with light dots, there was tied a large but loose bow.

"Why did you bite me?" he sounded not angry but more curious, while still cradling his hand. Both of his hands were hidden in brown fingerless tartan gloves, and his left thumb was wrapped in white bandage. The rest of his hands were whitish, and had what seemed to be several old long-healed scars, especially his right hand was bad. A thimble was on each middle finger, both matching the colour of the sock on the same side.

"Sorry, but you were about to strangle me." Selene replied a bit raspy. Was he some kind of clown or something, since he was dressed like that?

"Rather that, than being caught by Stayne." The red-haired man looked at her, noticing her holding on to her hood, covering her face. "Why are you hiding your face?"

There it was again, asking and asking. Sighing inwardly she pulled off her hood, and turned her head towards him, flinching slightly when she noticed that he had moved closer, and sat on a low pouf like the one outside, making him be less than two meters from her. He on the other hand seemed shocked for a moment. If it was by her bruised face or split lip or something else, she couldn't tell. His magenta-coloured lips formed a soundless word, while his neon-green eyes turned deep-blue for a tiny second, before turning to green again.

"Does it hurt? Your marks?" he asked after a couple of seconds, pointing at different places around his own face to show what he meant.

Now she was surprised. He was the first so far not to ask at first, what there had caused her marks.

"It's not so bad. I'm used to it." Selene shrugged.

But the man stood up and went out of a doorway next to her, into the small entrance hall, and further out into what must be the kitchen. With him gone Selene took a look around the room from her spot. It must be the living room. She sat next to a before unnoticed fireplace, a small coffee table before it, and a dark-khaki sofa with a faint yellow flower pattern on the pillows. Two low poufs in matching design stood on each side of the low table. A slightly empty bookcase stood in the corner, and a brown armchair stood close by. Somehow the room had its own charm.

After a minute or two, the man returned with a small glass and a handheld mirror. He went over and handed the glass to her. The fluid was again colourless, and instantly her mind thought that horrible shrinking drink back in the room with the many doors.

"Is it that horrible drink, there makes you shrink?" she asked and looked with sceptically at the glass.

"Pishavler? Oh no no. This will heal your marks and your lip. I promise it's not poisonous." The man said and smiled assuring.

Selene looked up at him. Slowly her hand took the glass, and brought it just as slowly to her lips. Carefully tipping the glass, she let a minimal part of the fluid enter her mouth, and was relieved when it tasted neutral and didn't have the horrible taste. It reminded more of some sort of thick-fluent water. Down it came and a light tickling feeling appeared underneath her skin all over her body. After ten seconds of time, the soreness had vanished from her face and arms. The man handed the mirror to her.

"That looks better. The marks did not suit you very well." He smiled.

Taking the mirror, she looked at her reflection and saw that the marks had disappeared, and her lip was healed like it never had been cut open. Her skin was flawless and fair like it used to be.

She looked up at him with slightly confused but thankful eyes. "Thank you, but… why are you so kind to me, even after I bit you?"

He chuckled, and showed a gap between his front teeth. "But why should I not be? No one likes a sour Hatter." The chuckling stopped, and his features turned somehow serious. "Now, it was the plan that it was Alice, there should return… hmm," he looked at her face, an arm across the waist and a hand before his mouth as if in thinking. "You look like her, or at least the shape of your eyes does. But your hair is straight and ginger-red, when Alice's was blond and curly. Queen Mirana told McTwisp and Cheshire to bring Alice to Marmoreal, but since you not are Alice…"

"Who is this Alice everyone keeps comparing me to?" Selene thought and was right about to ask, when he started again.

"I better take you to Marmoreal and the Queen, but not while Stayne…" his green eyes changed colour again. This time a deep-yellow, before they returned to green the moment later. "Not while he is out here. I think it's best if we wait until nightfall. Then he returns to Salazen Grum. Then we can reach Marmoreal without his interfering."

"Okay, now I'm lost. I'm in a windmill with a weird-looking man with changing eye colour, and who rambles about hatters, queens and strange places. What is this for a wicked place?" it would have been so much easier, if thoughts could translate themselves into words. "Can you tell me, where I am?"

"You are in Underland of course!" the man chuckled again. "Where nothing is impossible. Or that is what I like to believe. But sometimes I believe as much as six impossible things before breakfast."

"Is everyone here just as mad as you are?" it flew out of Selene, there instantly shut like an oyster, thinking that her words might have offended the man.

The green eyes got large, and he cocked his head slightly. "You are a mysterious one, you know. But to answer your question, we're all mad here. Yet I'm one to wear it in my title as the Mad Hatter."

"He's rambling and mad? This can only go wrong…"

"But enough about me!" his hands clapped together, as he changed subject. "If Time and the weather in Underland are just as unreliable as always, nightfall won't come before in some hours. Maybe you want to rest?"

"I don't want to be importunate..." she wondered why he was so kind to her. That was defiantly not something she was used to.

"You are not importunate at all. I have a spare room. Follow me." He smiled, and walked out of the doorway into the entrance hall, where a narrow staircase led upstairs.

Selene looked after him, but got up, took her bag and followed him. "Do you live in this windmill?" she asked a bit curious, as they walked up the steps. There was barely enough space to have your arms stretched halfway out.

"Only temporarily. It's Thackery and Mally who really live here." He explained, as they walked through the small corridor. A few small paintings hung horribly awry on the walls. There was a door on the left, one on the right, and one right ahead. He stopped by the door on the left, and turned the doorknob to open the door ajar. "This is the spare room."

Selene walked over and looked inside. It was a bit bigger than her room back at the orphanage, but it had a whole other atmosphere and lighter colours. A large window with a colourful patchwork curtain was on the furthest wall, and a wooden bed with a matching bedspread stood horizontally along the wall right below the window. A small wooden desk stood by the right wall, and a wardrobe stood by the left wall.

Carefully stepping inside and to the middle of the room, she looked around. It must have been the fact, that it all was made of wood instead of iron and the colours were lighter and warmer, that made it feel as homely and cosy as it did.

Thinking that she might want to be alone now, the man walked back towards the stairs. Selene turned around, dropped her bag on the floor and quickly stepped out of the door to catch him. "Wait!"

He stopped just by the top of the staircase, and looked back to see her standing with a hand on the doorframe. "Do you need anything?"

"There… before… I, I didn't get your name." she asked a bit shy.

The man smiled. "I'm just a mere Hatter going under the name Hightopp, but I'm just called the Hatter or Mad Hatter. Or that is what everyone uses to call me. What about yours?"

"Hightopp? Wasn't that the name the dark-haired rider mentioned and connected me with?" Selene hesitated. Should she tell him her real name, or go under her nickname until further notice? He had been so kind to her until now, that it would feel wrong to give him a false name, but then again… hiding your true identity in this new place didn't sound as a bad idea after all.

"Tinke." She finally replied.

"A very unique name." the surprise was painted in his face, clearly never heard such a weird name before. "Now, I will come and get you, when it's safe for us to go to Marmoreal."

With that he disappeared down the stairs again. Selene slowly returned into the room, and noiselessly closed the door ajar. Pushing the bag into the wall with her foot, she sat down onto the bed and pulled off her shoes. The mattress was softer and cushioned better than the one, her back had been forced to sleep on for so many years. She had almost forgotten how it felt to have her head on a soft pillow, there wasn't torn or smelled like the ones back at her former 'home', and after a few minutes she fell off into slumber.


	4. Author's Note:

Hi everyone.

I want to thank all of you, who has red, faved or reviewed "The Name Is Not Alice" so far. For those of you who read this, then it's a reminder, that I haven't forgotten the story yet, though no new chapter has been added for a long time. I'm sorry to make you wait. There has just been an awful lot happening in my life recently, which are hard to cope with...

The worst is that the 20th of January, my grandfather, who is 63, was diagnosed with COPD (**Chronic Obstructive ****Pulmonary Disease**) or Smoke Lungs to put it simple. Normally if diagnosed early, it can be treated before really developing to a worse state. Sadly, my grandfather has had the diagnose too late, and the COPD has developed into being aggressive lung cancer. The doctors say, that his lungs are too infected and sick to heal completely, even with medical treatment such as chemotherapy. He has been given less than 6 months left to live.

Receiving these news was devastating. My grandfather are a very important part of my life, and he has always been there for me, when I felt down and struggled with things, I couldn't talk to my parents about. And to hear, that I'm going to lose him, maybe even before my 20th birthday, has caused me to fall into depression. Don't worry, I'm trying to be fine and stay strong for him, but it's not easy.

Though these are hard times, I promise to try and update the story soon, but don't be disappointed if some time goes without a new chapter.

Thank you to you all again, because you spent a minute to read the reason of my absence. Thank you.


	5. Going to Marmoreal

Hi guys.

I'm SO sorry for making you wait so long. I know I promised to update soon, but there has been happening a lot in my life lately, which has prevented me from working properly on "The Name Is Not Alice"... see former chapter for one of the major reasons.

But here is the fourth chapter. Hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><em>"Tinke? Tinke, wake up."<em>

A hand shook her shoulder. Opening her eyes she saw the face of the man from before. The Hatter. Her heart flinched slightly by fright at first, because of the darkness from outside made the whole room dark. After a few moments her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and saw him standing in the dim light burning from within the small lantern of iron in his hand. Even in the weak light, she noticed the dark-maroon coat around his frame and the top hat on top of the mess of red hair.

"How long have I slept?" she asked, and sat up and began taking on her shoes.

"Almost three hours. We have to go to Marmoreal, while it's still dark. Stayne's men are still patrolling, but not in this area yet. We have to hurry." The tone in his voice was urgent, and he threw a few glances out of the window above her bed.

Selene nodded, gripped her bag, and followed with him out of the room and down the stairs. Hatter slowly opened the front door, and peeked outside. "No red soldiers around, come."

The moon was huge and full, and threw a silver gleam down upon the surroundings, making them almost glitter like a layer of silver paint had been added. As they hurried through the 'forest floor', Selene couldn't help but glance at the man walking in front. Maybe it was the wild orange-red hair, or the light lisp in his voice, or just the fact that he looked completely ridiculous. Somewhere inside herself something told her that this man could be trusted, that he wouldn't harm her. He had saved her from the black-haired rider named Stayne after all. But her mind said something else. It told her to be on guard and stay defensive.

Not long time passed, before the loud snap of a branch caught their attention. They both stopped and listened intensively. The sound of rapid footsteps of numerous men came closer and closer. Hatter quickly blew out the the light within the lantern, and dragged Selene by the wrist into a thick thicket nearby, where he forced her onto her knees. Through a tiny crack in the lowest branches, you could see the path. A tiny minute later horse hooves thundered by, closely followed by the army of red card soldiers with spears held high. It was all quiet in a matter of seconds.

"How many of those things are there?" she asked low, when the sound of the enemy had disappeared in the distance. Not noticing a slightly bleeding scratch on her forearm after the abrupt rush through the branches.

"How many soldiers are there in a queen's army?" he reformulated her question into another, while looking forth through the hole in the thicket. Seeing no soldiers around, they left the thicket and went ahead again. For a moment Selene thought to use the flashlight in her bag, there was hanging over her shoulder, but the full moon seemed to provide enough light for them to see the narrow path.

After about twenty minutes of time, they left the path and stood by the start of a wide and long walkway of white cobblestone. Large trees, which branches were covered with pink leaves, were planted on each side. But the place there laid by the end of the walkway was absolutely breathtaking. A palace, built in pearl-white and silver nuances with indigo roofs, reached into the sky, and combined with the pink trees got it all to look like something taken out of a fairy tale. For some reason Selene thought the palace, or at least the towers, were strongly inspired by white chess pieces. After the large gate, which fence was surprisingly pulled up, you could see the huge entrance doors of silver-coloured wood, and see more of these pink trees in the front courtyard. It made Buckingham Palace look so old-fashioned and cheap compared to this. The courtyard was large and square and in same white cobblestone, and a smaller walkway in each side probably led to the gardens.

"Who is living there?" the quite stupid question slipped Selene's lips.

"The White Queen, of course. Do you see any red of any kind around here?" Hatter asked, but glanced up and down the front of the palace like suddenly doubting.

"No…" Selene asked a bit puzzled. "Should there…?"

"Ah, good to hear that I'm not about to become colour blind. It would be such a misfortune not to see the colours of my hats!" His laughter was even funnier than the lisping, as they made their way up to the doors, where two white and quite so living chess piece soldiers, these two shaped as the chess pieces called bishops, stopped them by presenting spears.

"Stop in the Queen's name!" they ordered.

"It's very alright, gentlemen. The young lady is with me. Would I ever bring a Crimseer to Marmoreal of my own free but quite mad will?" Hatter asked calm without stopping smiling.

The guards straightened their spears back into upstanding position. "Forgive us, sir. But you cannot be too careful around the safety of Queen Mirana in these times."

"So true, so true. And I must say you do a marvellous job in doing so." Hatter said merrily. "Will you let Tinke enter the palace, now when you have my word for her whiteness?"

"Of course, sir. The queen asked us to inform you, that she would be in the throne room awaiting your arrival." The right bishop said, and simply laid a white hand on the silver door, there opened wide.

Hatter looked back at Selene with a coaxing smile. "Come on, Tinke. No need to be shy."

_"Where did the dullness from yesterday go? Now he's just abnormally chipper..."_ Selene thought, but walked past the guards and stepped into the entrance hall, there almost was as big as a larger tennis court.

Everything around them was a brilliant beautiful white. Tall rook-shaped pillars of marble and white stone encrusted with diamonds and pearls at their base stood along the walls, glittering in the dim moonlight that came through the huge windows in the front wall and in top of the high ceiling. The walls were decorated with simple but beautiful tapestry with crests, while doorways led to other sections of the ground floor of the palace. From the entrance doors, a white carpet went along the floor and directly ahead to a Grand Stair in the other end of the hall. The stair had wide and large steps, and split into a "T" formation halfway up, while a corridor led ahead through a beautifully decorated doorway. The two top parts of the stair led up to a circular balcony with footbridges and corridors leading further into the palace and to the next floors.

_"I'll get my answers in here... and hopefully someone, who can show me how to get out of here."_ Selene's thoughts were many, but looked after the Hatter, like for a sign of safety, but found the hall all empty and her all alone.

Suddenly voices started to approach from the middle section of the Grand Stair. She quickly searched refuge behind a pillar, and placed her bag on the floor. Slowly peeking forth, she saw the other redhead stepping out of the corridor, accompanied by a most unusual group;

In front was a large brown and grey-haired hare walking on its hind legs. Its yellow-orange eyes were so huge, that they looked like inches from falling out of their sockets. While being dressed in a pair of black and white-striped pyjamas pants, a dusty white shirt, and a long dark-blue coat with brown sleeve edges and pockets, its long furry feet were bare. On its head between its two long ears stood a tiny white dormouse in a small pink dress, a white cravat around the little neck, and a piece of black string used as a belt, there held a tiny sword sheath. The hare must be male, while the mouse, judging by the dress, had to be female.

Hatter came out behind the two animals followed by a slender woman dressed in a white Victorian gown, where the floor-length skirt was a little puffy and embroidered with big silver snowflakes. The front of the bodice was decorated with patterns in gold thread, and tiny pearls along the top edge, the V-angle of the bodice, and into the fabric of the thin lace long-sleeved underdress worn under the real gown. A chocker with the same tiny pearls was clasped around the pale neck. A silver crown rested upon her long white hair, which was slightly curled. The constant way she held her arms was most odd; her hands were held in height with her shoulders, and the tips of her index fingers and thumbs touching their side mates. That had to be the White Queen, the Hatter had mentioned back in the windmill.

To her right, and last but not least, was the white rabbit with the blue waistcoat. Also walking on its hind legs like the brown hare.

As they came to the foot of the Grand Stair, Selene quickly went back behind the pillar again. Almost hoping that they wouldn't come this way.

"Why do you hide from the Queen?" a voice sounded close by.

Whirling her head in the direction, she saw two small men. They barely came to her hips, and were almost egg-shaped. They were all bald, and dressed in brown and white-striped t-shirts, brown knee pants with red suspenders, and matching brown shoes. The term identical twins just jumped to the close-to-be uncannily level.

"Yes, why do you hide from the Queen?" both of them now asked in unison. Even their voices were identical.

"Ah, I see you have met the Tweedles." Another softer voice suddenly sounded out of nowhere. Selene nearly fell back over her bag on the floor, and onto the two small men by fright, but luckily didn't. She stared right into the very dark eyes of the White Queen, there came forth from the right side of the pillar while the Hatter came from the left. Her eyebrows were black and very well-trimmed, and her lips and nails were painted the same burgundy colour. The similarity between her with her white skin and a Victorian porcelain doll was close to be alarming.

"The what?" Selene glanced from the white woman to the two men.

"We are the Tweedles." They introduced themselves in unison, before speaking separately.

"I'm Tweedle Dee," said the left. "Or just called Dee."

"And I'm Tweedle Dum," said the right. "Or just called Dum."

"And my royal advisers." The woman added with a smile.

Selene had a hard time believing, that the two minis could give any advice good enough for a queen, since they didn't look like having an IQ higher than a toddler. The Queen stood and smiled at her.

"What may your name be, my friend?" the woman asked friendly.

"Tinke… your Highness." Right now Selene had forgotten how to act before a royal, but it didn't seem to bother the queen at all.

"A very special name. I do not believe I have heard it before." The woman said and cocked her head slightly. "Now then. You are a bit late, but not as much as I had expected. Hopefully your journey was comfortable, and not too troublesome?"

Selene was on the pinch to reel off all the things, she had been exposed to and several other things, both nice and not so nice, but a stern look from the dormouse got her on better thoughts.

"I mean… no, your Highness. There were no troubles at all."

The woman's dark eyes were sparkling like the pearls in her dress. Judging her calm expression, the Hatter hadn't told her about the episode with Stayne back in the forest.

"How wonderful! Uh," her fingertips of her one hand found her dark lips. "Oh my, where are my manners? You deserve a proper presentation. I'm the White Queen, Duchess of Marmoreal. And these…" nodding to them around her. "Are my friends and most loyal and trusted knights."

She looked at the Hatter. "You have met the royal Hatter I understand, so that's good." Then her eyes went for the three animals. "This is Thackery Earwicket," the March Hare chuckled madly. "Then there is Mallymkun," the dormouse made a mix of a bow and a curtsey. "And last but not least, there is Nivens McTwisp." The only thing the rabbit did was clearing his throat, discreetly but politely.

"We have already met." Selene said and looked at the white rabbit. "I nearly ran him down on my bike, and he paid back by throwing walnuts at me."

The White Queen looked her over a bit nonplussed, and noticed the red scratch on Selene's arm. A single tear of blood had escaped from it, and made a tiny trail down the wrist and hand. "My friend, you are hurt. Did you scratch yourself down through the rabbit hole?"

Selene looked down and saw the reason for the queen's sudden concern. Shaking her head, she pulled down the sleeve as long as possible. "It's nothing." she assured them. "Your Highness, is a way for me to…"

The Queen cut her off by raising her right hand a bit. "Let us wait until tomorrow, where we will have better time. You must also be exhausted after the journey, and all these new impressions around you."

_"The queen must be a mind reader…"_ Selene thought, but had to agree. Though the three hours of sleep back in the windmill, she was tired; tired and extremely hungry after almost three days without eating anything. Just thinking of it made her stomach utter a fierce growl. Her cheeks turned a very faint red, and she quickly lowered her head in a try to avoid their eyes.

"Maybe you want to eat first?" the Queen suggested.

"No no, it's fine. I can wait." God, nothing could be more wrong. If she didn't get anything to eat soon, she could properly consume the March Hare raw.

"Very well, if you are sure. I have had a room prepared for your arrival." The queen laid a hand on Selene's shoulder, and led her ahead and up the stairs.

The Queen of Marmoreal did not take Selene to her room at first, but apparently had decided to show her around inside the whole palace instead. This place was a total maze, a total white maze to be more precise! How in earth should she remember the way in and out, or down for that sake, when everything looked like the same?

Finally after God-knows-how-long, the Queen stopped outside a door with what seemed to be a crest engraved with gold into the silver wood.

"This is your room." She smiled, and opened the door so they could step inside.

The room was quite large, and for once more calm in the colours on the walls and floor. A medium-sized chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a large bed with white pillows and silver linens stood by the right wall on a platform raised a few centimetres. It seemed big enough for at least four grown persons. There stood a white vanity with a large mirror by the opposite wall, and behind the door a large wardrobe. The furthest wall was lined with windows, and a glass door, which led out onto a small balcony. To finish it all, the walls were decorated with a few paintings and the floor with colour-matching rugs.

"Wow…"

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful. You really didn't have to make such a big fuss out of it, your Highness."

"Big… fuss?"

"I mean, you didn't have to give me such a nice room. I'm just a stranger, and yet you show me such kindness."

"Oh, but why should I not? You are here for a special reason, which…" The White Queen fell silent like having said too much, but before Selene had a chance to say anything, she continued. "I will explain everything, when you have got some rest. Is there anything you need, before I leave you for the night?"

Selene thought about it, but shook her head. "I think it was everything, your Highness."

The Queen nodded and turned to leave, but stopped in the door and looked back. "Oh, and Tinke…"

Selene turned to the woman, who continued. "Now when I know and intend to call you by first name, I think it only will be fair for you to do the same with me. You can call me Mirana, when we are alone." The finishing smile showed the top row of perfect and, of course, pearl-white teeth.

_"Does the woman never stop smiling?"_ Selene sighed inwardly, but forced a smile in return. It could only be a good thing to have the privilege of being able to call the Queen by name. "Very well… _Mirana_."

Mirana bid Selene a good night, left the room and gently closed the door. Selene took a round inside the room, and went to the door in the right wall next to the bed. It led out into a bathroom illuminated by another smaller chandelier. A white tub of porcelain or marble stood on golden lion feet in the middle of the room, a sink by the left wall and a smaller dresser by the right. After hiding her bag under the bed, she went over to the sink, wet one of the many cloths, and wiped the blood off her arm.

_"I wonder why I'm here in the first place…"_ returning to the bedroom, she took off her shoes and hoodie, and crawled into the bed under the silver covers. A weird restlessness was present, and the thought of maybe getting attacked during the night made her decide to stay awake. The only thing to do now was waiting, waiting for the dawn… and answers.


	6. Marmorians to Meet

_"How shall we wake her up? Shall we jump at her?"_

_"No, Thackery! That's the stupidest thing to do. Besides, who says that she actually _is_ the chosen one?"_

The two quarrelling voices so close by made Selene frown annoyed and open her eyes. Whoever there was arguing, should it absolutely be so close? The March Hare and Mally were standing next to her bed. Thackery on the floor with his eyes barely visible over the edge of the bed, while the dormouse stood on the bedside table with its small paws on its tinier hips.

"If you absolutely shall have an argument…" Selene grunted, and got up onto her elbow. Some strands of her hair hanging down in front of her face. "Then couldn't you do it outside or at least more hushed?"

"Well, looks who finally have chosen to wake up. About time, I must say." said Mally with a hidden stern tone.

"What do you mean by that?" Selene asked and brushed away her hair.

"You have slept for almost 18 hours, girl. The Queen has been worried for you." Mally reached behind her, and found forth a white silk ribbon, which she threw before Selene. "The Queen awaits you. Try to get some control over that hair of yours. You look like you have been wrestling with a Bandersnatch."

Selene was way too tired and hungry to argue with a mouse, so after sitting up she collected her hair into a braid down the front of her right shoulder. Swinging her legs out of the bed, she put on her shoes and stood up, corrected her pants and dark-green t-shirt, and took on her black hoodie, whereupon following with the two animals. Mally once again standing between the March Hare's long ears.

As on the way to the entrance hall, they came through a corridor which seemed to be some sort of gallery. Large portraits of men and women hung on each wall, yet two of them were covered by large golden sheets. That sight made Selene stop by the left of them. Curiously lifting the middle of the sheet, she saw a name written on a golden plate in the bottom of the frame. A name so weird, that she not was sure how to pronounce it.

Just as she was about to lift the sheet higher, a high-pitched yelp could be heard and a fierce mouse voice began scolding her. "Hey, get away from there!"

Selene let go of the sheet, and in the next got pulled along by the March Hare. Mally gave her a warning look, but didn't say anything.

Finally making their way to the entrance hall, they saw Mirana standing by the foot of the stairs, talking to some from her court. All the men and women were very fair-skinned and with white hair like their Queen. The dressing style around her seemed to be from the Victorian era. Large white-silver corset dresses for the women, and pale-golden breeches and white waistcoats and tailcoats for the men.

Hearing the footsteps on the stairs, Mirana turned her head and smiled. "Ah, good to see you awake, Tinke. I have been worried. I thought you were under the influence of a sleeping draught, since you have slept for so long."

"I'm fine, your Majesty." Selene said, feeling a bit uncomfortable that the people from court were looking at her like she was some sort of alien creature. Which she, in the theory, also was, since she was from Aboveland.

"Sir Andrew, can you tell me the clock, please?" Mirana asked one of the men, there fumbled with finding his pocket watch in his coat.

"It's about to be noon, my queen." he replied.

Mirana smiled again. That the Queen apparently was smiling of anything without any reason was already getting onto Selene's nerves.

"Dear friend. You must be hungry from your journey." Mirana said. "What about we eat lunch, and then I can show you around the palace grounds afterwards?"

The word lunch made Selene's stomach wake up and it uttered a loud growl with hunger. "I would like that. Thank you, your Majesty."

The Queen smiled and led her inwards the left doorway nearest by, Mally and Thackery right in their footprints. They came into another section, where three other doorways met them. One to the left, one right ahead, and one to the right. Walking through last mentioned, they came into a large dining room, the single door in the back must lead to the kitchen. While Thackery went into the kitchen, Mally, Mirana and Selene went over and sat down by the end of the table closest to the kitchen door. Mirana sat by the end of the table, Selene on her left, while Mally stood on a pile of books on the Queen's right. Sitting there Selene took a look around. Something was missing, just what she didn't know. Well, besides from someone she knew, like Liz.

After about half an hour of time, Thackery returned. A tea tray with cups, a teapot and all that, balancing on his head, his ears curled around the handles of the tray, while two other trays with food balanced on each paw. It was a wonder, how he managed to get over to the table without dropping anything. After placing the food on the table first, he went for the tray on his head but his ears was not keen on letting go of the handles, almost making him drop it all into the Queen's lap. Selene had to hide the small present smirk behind her hand.

The meal was the most unusual Selene ever had attended, both when it came to food and company. There was not much of the food on the trays, she recognized. There was bread, scones, different berries, a large white tart, various sorts of fruits, and weird bluish eggs, there, when you opened them, had yellow crown-shaped yolks. The tart was made of wild Underland berries, and the bread tasted oddly of cinnamon and vanilla. A few times during the breakfast, the March Hare had either taken one of the cups, knocked the bottom out of it, and then poured the tea down through it into another cup, or had hurled sugar cubes at the others. Mally and Mirana seemed to be used to it, because they quickly avoided it, but Selene had got hit a few times, whereupon Thackery laughed insanely.

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><p>After they were done eating, Mirana did as promised and showed Selene around the palace grounds. The gardens were large and parted into different sections, there varied in sizes. As they came into a large garden with a huge white marble fountain, Mirana noticed an absent look in the eyes of the younger girl.<p>

"Is there something on your mind?" she asked.

"There is… sort of." Selene had a bit trouble of how to say this. "Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate your kindness and that, but I was wondering… is there... a way for me to get back? Back to the Aboveland, as you call it?"

Silence loomed over them in the garden like a thick mist. The smile on the queen's face faded. Convincing Selene that her answer not would be good news.

"There… is a way to return." Mirana said very hushed.

"What way?" Selene turned around towards the Queen, there looked hesitating. Hearing that there actually was a way to get back to her own world, Selene wanted every bit of information the queen had, no matter if she would give it willingly or not.

Mirana shook her head without taking her dark eyes off her. "Selene, you do not understand. You cannot leave Underland, not now." there was almost a plea in the royal words.

"Why not?" Selene asked. Why was the Queen suddenly so secretive and keen on getting her to stay? Was she hiding something?

The White Queen looked rather uncomfortable all of a sudden. Like she didn't like the idea of taking this conversation further. Then there sounded footsteps through the garden gate, and a chubby man with a white handlebar moustache came running. He must be from the court, yet he was dressed much nicer than the others. The medals and orders on the front of the coat indicated, that he was the Lord Chamberlain within the court.

"My Queen, my Queen!" he called desperate, and stopped before them.

"Something wrong, my good man?" Mirana asked.

"Your presence... is requested by... by Absolem in the Prediction Tower. It sounded most urgent." The man explained quite breathless.

Hearing this Mirana's face turned serious. "Then I certainly must go." She turned to Selene. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave you. Shall I let sir Argus stay with you?"

Selene shook her head. "No need, your Majesty. I would like some time alone, if it's alright."

"Of course. Sir Argus," Mirana said, whereupon she and the man left the garden.

Finally having some alone time, Selene sat down onto the edge of the fountain and sighed. Reaching under her t-shirt, she took forth the golden locket and opened it. The small picture made her smile sad and yearning. An unfamiliar sound made Selene snap out of her dwelling, and her ears tensed up. Music. It sounded like someone was playing the flute. It was not close by, but it sounded like it came from beyond the tall hedge labyrinth, there began in the other end of the garden. After closing the locket shut and putting it back underneath the shirt, Selene stood up and curiously started following the sound.

The labyrinth was not very hard to solve, and a few minutes later, she stood in the entrance into the centre middle where a gazebo was built. The wood was white, and had a blue-violet roof like the ones on the palace. She saw who there was playing the music, and stepped up to hide behind a corner of the hedge. It was the Hatter, sitting on one of the two golden benches inside the gazebo. The brown top hat was resting upon the wild mess of curly orange hair, and the gloved hands worked on a black tin flute. The weak breeze seemed to carry the melody along. The melody was very beautiful, slow and kinda sad. Though she couldn't see his face, something told her that he was just as sad as the melody indicated.

The melody lasted for another minute or so, before he stopped playing. Selene took a careful step back to return to the fountain, when she heard his voice broke the silence.

"Don't think that I hadn't seen you standing there, Tinke." He said.

Selene stiffened, but slowly stepped forth from her hide. "Sorry, it was not my intention to disturb you. I heard the music…"

"Sad, wasn't it?" he simply asked and stood up, putted the flute back into his inner pocket, and proceeded to leave through the other exit of the gazebo.

"Hatter,"

He turned back around, and saw Selene standing by the opposite opening, her one hand on the door frame. "I… never got to thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me from Stayne back there. I don't think biting you was a proper way to show my gratitude. I hope you're not mad at me."

Hatter's eyes, there before her arrival had been dark-blue of grief, slowly turned green. He glanced at his right hand, where a faint print of her teeth still was visible on his index finger. He smiled back at her. "Don't mind it, lass. I have been through worse…"

Selene smiled briefly, before turning serious again. "Hatter, Mirana said that there was a way for me to return to Aboveland, but she suddenly hesitated and refused to tell me." She saw that his own smile had vanished. "You must know, how I can get back to Aboveland."

"I do… but I must not tell you. The Queen's orders." He shook his head, while exiting the gazebo. He crossed the small area to enter the labyrinth through another entrance, but stopped just before. His head turned to look back, and saw her standing where he had been standing seconds ago, with a disappointed face.

"I'm sorry, lass." He said and sounded sincerely.

She just nodded with a slight smile. "It's okay." her voice low.

He repaid her smile, before entering the labyrinth to return to the palace. Selene sighed, and turned around, arms crossed. She saw a ladder standing next to the gazebo, leading up to the roof. For some unknown reason, she climbed up to stand on the roof, and held around the golden spear with left hand, while looking around. The rather asymmetric pattern of the white marble walls and green hedges parting the many gardens was like a huge puzzle, there just screamed for being broken up and then solved again. The clouds floated gently across the blue sky, birds were singing, and butterflies in every colour flew by. For a very brief moment, lasting lesser than a quarter of a second, she actually fell in love with the new world, but remembered that this wasn't right. The world was not as hers, and the way that people were dressed indicated that the time had turned back with at least a century, if not two, and a feather-headed Queen apparently had plans with her, and didn't seem to let her go willingly.

Using the rest of the afternoon indoors, Selene spent some hours on walking and memorizing the palace on her own. Actually a bit surprised to not see Mirana or any of the others, not even the Hatter or Mally, a single time. She had asked the Lord Chamberlain, the man Argus, about it, but the simple answer given was that the Queen was occupied with something 'important', and did not wish to be disturbed. Walking around the corridors pretty much at random, she made her way to one of the top towers, and stepped out onto the large balcony encircling the tower. Though it had to be early evening, the sun was still high on the sky. A telescope was fastened to the marble handrail, and she allowed herself to look through it. The range was really long, much longer than a normal telescope. The broken windmill jumped into her mind, and that was actually what she saw. The windows were dark, and the curtains were drawn. Then her mind flicked to the Room of Doors, and without turning the telescope, the round picture of the windmill got replaced by the tiny door leading into the larger room.

"Cool, I want one of these…" She mumbled low to herself, not noticing Argus who appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Tinke?"

Selene whirled around slightly frightened. Before having a chance to say anything, the chubby man continued with a serious face.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but the the Queen awaits you in the Prediction Tower. Please follow me." Argus said.

Selene nodded and followed him. Misgivings started forming during the way to the tower, as they went through a few corridors, before ending by a tall spiral staircase leading up to the highest tower in Marmoreal. The staircase was so narrow, that Selene had to walk behind Argus, who barely had space to move between the walls. She kept a distance to him, like fearing his large corpus might fall backwards and land on her. The trip up the staircase seemed forever, but finally they came to the top, where there only was one door in the circle-shaped wall. It was a large silver-white door with a unique design engraved into the wood. Something which looked like rays of air swirled beautifully around to form a circle around an open scroll. Argus stepped forth and knocked on the door, whereupon slowly opening it.

"My Queen, I have brought Tinke as requested."


	7. Author's Note II:

Hi all of you...

First of all, I want to thank you all (again) for reading/faving/reviewing my "The Name is Not Alice" fic. You guys are awesome, and truly make my day :3

BUT... I'm afraid I've good news, bad news, and (for some) worse news. :(

The worst news is, that this date (23th April) has been a day of sorrow for me. As I explained in my previous Author's Note, my grandfather was incurably sick with cancer, and that he had been less than half an year back to live in. What has happened is that the cancer got worse, a whole lot worse, and he was, as the doctors said, immune to the treatment. To my deepest grief, he lost the battle tonight after being on life support for 3 weeks. It was devastating to see him in that state, floating between life and death. So together with my family, we decided turn off the life support and let him sleep to not cause him any unnecessary pain. He was proclaimed dead at 6.32 pm. I've just returned from the hospital (8 pm), and as you might expect, my mood is not the very best. :'(

**RIP: John "Max" Doessing. I'll keep loving you to the end of time :'-(  
><strong>

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><p><strong><span>Update on "The Name Is Not Alice":<span>  
><strong>

The lesser bad news is, that I'm going to put "The Name is Not Alice" on standby for now due to lack of inspiration to complete the fic. I know it's a stupid time in the story to stop, and I apologize to everyone who was tracking it so far, but this is necessary for me to have time to think about how to finish it. I promise to finish it, but just doesn't know when.

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><p>BUT... I'm not going to be all silent. The good (how you look at it) news is, that due to a fit of "Harry Potter fever" (damn take Harry Potter movie nights xD), I've decided to focus on writing a new story with my Harry Potter OC named Isolde "Nola" Blake, who is a quite special girl in many ways. How you ask? Well, you have to read and find out. But trust me, one person in particular is going to hate it.<p>

Again I thank you for using a minute to read this, and please don't hate me! Fairfarren for now...


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